Safety

Ford Broadens Recall of Transit Vans

Ford Motor Company is adding an estimated 26,000 2015 to 2017 Ford Transit full-size vans equipped with a trailer tow module to an existing recall — bringing the total recall in North America to nearly 99,900 vehicles.

The recall is due to water intrusion into the module and connector, which can potentially lead to wiring corrosion and module damage.

Water intrusion into the module can cause rapid flashing of the turn signals as well as loss of the instrument cluster display, heater and air conditioning controls, and multimedia including radio screens and SYNC system. Wiring corrosion may result in an electrical short to the ground wire, which could lead to a seat belt pretensioner deployment, a burning odor, and possible fire—even when the vehicle is parked and the ignition is off.

While Ford is not aware of any accidents or injuries associated with this issue, the automaker did confirm two reports of vehicle fires on Canadian fleet vehicles.

To fix the problem, dealers will add a drainage hole to the driver’s door stepwell and put a fuse into the wiring harness at no cost to owners. Parts are now available.

Vehicles affected by this recall include 2015 to 2017 Ford Transit vehicles built at Kansas City Assembly Plant between Feb. 3, 2014 and Aug. 2, 2017.

The recall involves vehicles in North America, with approximately 90,864 in the U.S. and federalized territories and 9,092 in Canada. Ford’s reference number for this recall is 17S34.

Due to an identification error of certain configurations of the vehicle population, the current 26,000 vehicles were not included in Ford’s original safety recall.

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